The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime

Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. What truly governs the Major League game is a set of unwritten rules—some of which are openly discussed, and some of which only a minority of players are aware. In The Baseball Codes, old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game's most hallowed and least known traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining.

At the heart of The Baseball Codes are incredible and often hilarious stories. Tales involving national heroes and notorious headhunters—Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, and Don Drysdale, to name a few— reveal a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes, we see the game as it is actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field.

With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball's informal rulebook, this collection of unwritten rules is a must for every baseball fan.